Developing Relationships

That’s how we do it. Isn’t it? We develop relationships. No one charts their course alone.

The other day, I had a meeting with a potential new colleague. We had met back in June at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store (of all places). We struck up a conversation and found a lot in common in our professions.

So, on Tuesday, we met at the Penn Club in New York to see how we might work together. But something fabulous happened. You know how sometimes you meet someone and realize you could talk forever? Well, that’s what happened on Tuesday. An hour-long meeting turned into the better part of four hours. It was like getting to know a good new friend.

I don’t know if he and I will ever work together. (I hope so.) But, I believe the time we spent together enriched both our perspectives on business, entrepreneurship, and how our brains think. And that’s incredible!

Life-enriching Relationships

So, here’s the long and short of it. If you’re thinking of speaking up to someone you don’t know, do it. If they seem interesting, say something. Extend yourself. The worst that can happen is they won’t want to or be able to speak with you.

And that’s OK. Repeat after me. It’s OK if you reach out and hear a “no.” It just means this wasn’t the right person to connect with. That’s cool. Now, you know and can move ahead to the next person.

And when you reach out to new people, you build your network of friends and colleagues. Even if it’s scary, do it anyway. It’s possible the other person is shy too. And you might forge a life-long relationship with the next person you meet. It’s worth the risk.

So, get curious about the people around you. You’ll enrich each other’s lives beyond measure.